Organ-action



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I,

M CLARK.

ORGAN ACTION.

No. 447,760. Patented Mar. 10,1891.

(K0 Modl.) a Sheets-Sheet 2. M CLARK.

ORGAN ACTION;

No. 447,760. Ratented Mar. 10, 1891. W a

5 jade/J)? l 56 k MMQOM ORGAN ACTION.

No. 447,760. Patented Mar. 10, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELYILLF. CLARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

O RGAN-ACTIO N.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,760, dated March 10, 1891.

Application filed February 5, 1890. Serial No. 839,289. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

lie it known that I, MELviLLE CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chieago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a- Manual Action for Organs, which is fullyset forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through keyboard, reed-chamber, and valve of an organ having my invention applied to it. Fig. 2 is a plan of the lever system pertaining to onehalf the manual and showing a portion of the keys in their relative position with respect to said levers. Fig. 3 is a perspective of one of said levers and its bearings. Fig. at is a detail side elevation of one key and its lever and the valve-operating plunger. Fig. 5 is a diagram representing a theoretical form of the valve-operating rock-shaft and its lever-arms for the purpose of explaining the reason for adopting the form shown in the other figures in practice. Fig. 6 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 1, but showing coupling mechanism and showing the lever for the ordinary manual action in the reverse position from that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a detail plan of the levers for the ordinary and coupler action which are shown in Fig. 6.

The purpose of this invention is to provide means by which the keys of the manual may be associated with and operate the valves of a system of reeds which shall operate in Valve-chambers wider than the keys, so that the entire length of the system of valve-reed chambers, as said chambers are located side by side, is longer than the entire manual by which it is operated, so that the valve-operating plungers, except near the middle, are not directly underneath the keys by which they are designed to be operated respectively, the distance from the vertical plane of the key to the vertical plane of the plunger, which it actuates,being a constantly-increasing quantity from the middle toward the ends of the manual. For example, if the width of the reed-chambers is one-fifth greater than the width of the keys, the middle key being located immediately over its reed-chamber, the twentieth key from the middle will be four times the width of a key distantfrom its reed-chamber, and this distance must be spanned by suitable devices, through which the key may communicate proper motion to the valve-operating plunger. The mechanism which I have designed for this purpose consists of a system of rock-shafts, each with two lever-arms, one of said arms being in position to be operated by the key, while the other is in position to operate it upon the plunger. Such rock-shaft and lever-arms being provided for each key and plunger, the increasing differing distances of the keys from their plungers is spanned by the rockshafts of correspondingly different lengths. The details of the construction and form of these rock-shafts and their arrangement on the board which is provided to support them constitutes the essence of my invention, and these details are adapted to meet the necessities of the case as the same are hereinafter particularly pointed out.

I will first describe the construction as I have finally designed it, and will then explain the reason for the adoption of the peculiarities which will appear.

A are the keys, which are pivoted at their rear ends in the usual manner on the studs a, mounted on the fixed bar B of the organ-action frame.

G is a reed-chamber, D the valve which controls the passage of air therethrough, and E the valve-operating plunger.

F is a bar, which extends longitudinally the whole length of the manual underneath the keys, being suitably supported at the ends on the action-frame. This bar affords support for the rock-shafts G. These rock-shafts are all located obliquely with respect to the direct-ion of the keys and of the bar F, and are held in position on the bar by the boxes II. These boxes are made of little blocks of wood adapted to be secured each by a single screw I'l onto the bar and having each upon the under side a notch 71-, which constitutes the bearings of the rock-shaft, each of said bearings being lined with felt II to render the action of the rock-shaft in these bearings noiseless and at the same time easy. In the preferred construction the rock-shafts are substantially parallel with each other.

The boxes II, of which two are employed for each rock-shaft, are located at the ends of TOC tally, and extends thus a sufficient distance to pass the box H, and is then bent obliquely in the same horizontal plane to bring its end to the desired position to operate upon the plunger.

Considering the situation of the first key of the system-that is, the middle key of, the manual with respect. to the plunger which it operates-it will be remembered that by the condition stated this key is directly over the plunger. It. could therefore directly operate the plunger, and the rock-shaft and its lever-- arms are not a necessity for this key. The same would be true for the second and sometimes for the third key from the middle. The

plunger for the fourth and subsequent keys would be entirely out from under their keys, respectively, and even for the second and third keys the plunger would be under one side-of the key, so that if the keys were relied upon to operate them directly the keys would be liable to be tipped by being depressed, making a very undesirable action and one which would embarrass the operator, and I employ the rock shaft and lever for the middle key as well as for the remainder for the sake of uniformity. The position of the plunger being such that the key couldoperate it directly if the plunger were extended upward to meetthe key, the end of the leverarm which operatesthe plunger stands directly under the lever-arm, which is actuated by the key. Having assumed suflicient length for the lever-arm to make its move ment sufficiently direct as the shaft rocks, the distance of the rock-shaft from the plunger is ascertained. The arm G must then be bent upwardly from the shaft, in order that the end of the arm may overhang the end of the arm G which latter arm, after being extended at right angles to the shaft far enough to pass the bearing, may extend in any shape to the plunger. Preferably, of course, it extendsstraight toward the plunger after having passed the bearing. This gives the form of the: first or central rock-shaft and its arms, as shown in the perspective, Fig. 4. The succeeding shafts have the same general peculiarities; but the length of the rock-shaft that is,.the-d-istance between the lever-arms increases successively and uniformly, and,as illustrated, the length of the arms G increases. The reason for this will .be hereinafter explained, and in order to understand fully why the special form illustrated is adopted it will be helpful to consider the diagram shown in Fig. 5. The reason for the employment of the rock-shafts to communicate motion from the keys to the plunger being that the plungers are not in the same vertical planes fore and aft with their keys, respectively, the first and most'natural form to give the rock-shafts would be to journal them all in the same lineand all at the same distance from the row of plnngers, and to vary the lengths of the rock-shafts according to the distance between the vertical planes of the several of the keys and the vertical planes of the plungers pertaining to them, respectively. The first mechanical difficulty encountered in this construction would be that the rock-shafts, lying all in the same line and being, at least after the first two or three near the center, longer than the width of the keys, would lap one upon another.

The first and most obvious means of avoiding this difliculty would be to limit the length of the rock-shafts to the space-available under the keys, respectively, and toobtain the necessary lateral divergence between the extremities of the two lever-arms of, the rock-shaft, respectively, by deflecting the arm which is to operate upon the plunger after extending at right angles to the shaft past the bearing. This would make that arm of the center rock-shaft bent toward the center, and the same to a less extent would betrue of the next four or live or halfdozen rock-shafts, until a key was reached whose plunger was distant from it as far as the width of the key, or at least as far as the, length of the rock-shaft, and the two arms of this rock-shaft would be parallel, and for all subsequent rock-shafts the plunger-operating rod would diverge from the key-operated arm, this divergence toward the ends of the man ual' being as much as four orfive times the width of the key or'the length of the rock-shaft, as shown in the diagram of Fig. 5. In such a construction the key-operated arms may all be precisely alike and the rock-shafts themselves precisely alike, only the plunger-operating arms being different, and in such a construction also an equal depression of thekeys will produce an equal opening. of the'valves, the leverage of the arms being precisely equal; but such construction would be undesirable on account of the extreme length of the plunger-operating arms toward the end of the manual as comparedwith the very short rockshafts which it will be possible to accommodate in V the space available, which would cause the action of the long oblique leverarms to be-unreliable and to exert a distorting strain upon the rock-shaft or their bearings. It is especially desirable that the rockshafts should be as long and their two bearings aswidely separated as possible, and the lever-arms as short as consistent with a suitable direct vertical motion at their ends. In order to obtain longer rock-shafts, it is necessary to set the rock-shafts in oblique position, so that they may pass each other and obtain bearings on the bar. This change having been adopted, since the plungers are all in a line at right angles to the keys, the ends of the lever-arms Gr must be similarly in such line, in order to contact the ends of the plungers, respectively, the rock-shafts being set oblique to that line and of different lengths, it is evident that if the ends of the lever-arms G are brought into a line parallel with the line of the upper ends of the plungers said arms will vary in length very 1naterially, increasing steadily from the center toward the ends of the manual. This will pre vent the equal opening of the valves by equal depression of the keys. To correct this defeet, I vary the lengths of the lever-arms in such manner that the combined action of the lever constituted by each key, and said lever-arm G upon a given depression of the key at the forward end produces equal angular movement of the rock-shaft and consequent equal vertical movementof the end of the leverarms G that is, I cause the key to act upon the lever-arm G at such distance from the rockshaft and at such distance from the pivot of the key that the greater length of the lever-arm G, which diminishes the angular action, is compensated by the greater length of the lever constituted by the key from its pivot to the point where it contacts the lever-arm G, such greater length tending to increase the angular action of the rock-shaft. Any two of the rock-shafts being properly computed, a straight line connecting their ends will indicate the position of the ends of all the others intermediate and beyond, so thatit is not difficult to construct the entire system with this compensatory relation as between the lever-arms and the keys. An important feature to be observed and characteristics to be preserved in the construction of these levers is that their angles, respectively, are all equalthat is, said rock-shafts and their lever-arms being made of wire bent into the required form-and in order to make them economically, dies being constructed for this purpose, it is important that the same die or dies answer for all the rock-shafts, which could not be the case unless the shape of all were the same. The construction is further simplified by making the lever-arms G2 all of uniform length, throwing all the variation into the length of the rock-shafts and the length of the arms G.

Another feature of construction quite important to be preserved is that inasmuch as the bearings of these rock-shafts are formed, as described, of wooden blocks fastened by screws on the bar F, and in order to make them rapidly holes must be drilled in such bars for the screws. These holes for the screws are in straight lines uniformly or at least regularly spaced, so that the bars being placed in the machine can be advanced along a gage to have the holes formed successively and that it is not necessary to diagram and mark the position for each hole or to provide a pattern by which the position of the holes shall be indicated. In order that this may be done, the ends of the rock-shafts are in straight lines and the rock-shafts are all parallel. This feature of construction is related to the fact that the arms G2 are of uniform length, but has the independent reason above stated.

It will be seen that by the construction above described a uniform mode of action is obtained for the several keys upon their respective plungers and uniform opening of the valves, and consequently, assuming uniformity in the tension of the springs which uphold the valves, a uniform resistance is experienced by the operator against the keys, or, as it is technicallyknown, a uniform touch to the instrument throughout. This is accom plished in such mannerthat the action of the keys is against direct and not oblique resistance, that the action upon the plungers is in like manner direct, that the position of the rock-shafts, which serve as the connect-ion between the keys and the plungers, is fixed against longitudinal displacement by their bearings, and that the whole lever-action is made to constitute an independentan d detach able piece of mechanism, all such shafts being mounted on the one bar F, so that it can be completely constructed with the bearings of the rock-shafts all suitably fixed before it is placed in the organ. In short, so that it is capable of independent manufacture and adapted to be placed in anyorgamhaving been first made in view of a given ratio between the dimensions of the keys and the reed-chambers.

I am aware that levers have heretofore been employed interposed between the keys and the plungers for the purpose of communicating the motion of the former to the latterand for the purpose of reaching the latter when they are out of line with their keys, respectively, and I do not broadly claim the interposition of the levers for thatpurpose. \Vhen this manual action is to be used in an organ having a coupler-stop and mechanism for coupling octaves, in order to introduce such coupling mechanism conveniently I prefer to locate the rock-shafts rearward of the line of the valveactuating plungers E, making the lever-arms project forward instead of rearward, as in Figs. 1 to l, inclusive. I do this for the purpose of locating the couplers in front of the line of said plungers and having their lever-arms project rearward to the same plungers and operate upon the buttons E on their plungers below their upper ends. Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate this modification in combination with the system of couplers, which are of a familiar construction, pivoted on the bar J, which is pivoted to the top of the reed-chambers, extending the wholelength of the manual underneath the same, coupler rock-shafts J being pivoted on the upper side of such bar, their lever-arms J being contacted and adapted to be depressed by the g reed-chambers wider than the manual-keys,

buttons A on the keys, respectively, while their lever-arms J engage, as stated, upon the buttons E on the plungers E of the octave above the key which operates the leverarm J I claim 1. In combination with the manual and the valve-operating plungers, rock-shafts journaled below the horizontal plane of the-keys, having two arms bent at right angles to the shafts, respectively, on opposite sides of the shaft-bearings and adjacent thereto, one arm of each shaft being bent upwardly and toward the vertical plane of the plungers in a plane at right anglesto the shaft and terminating under the key corresponding thereto, the other arm being bent horizontally to pass the bearing and then obliquely back toward the vertical plane of the first arm to reach the end of the plunger, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with the manual and the reed-chambers pertaining to the manual-keys, respectively, said reed-chambers being wider than the keys, the valve-operating plungers pertaining to said chambers, respectively,the rock-shaft G, located below the manual-keys and above the reed-chambers and comprising lever-arms'G, all in planes at right angles to the rock-shafts, respectively, and the leverarms G comprising portions oblique to the rock-shafts, respectively, the oblique angles between the vertical planes of said oblique portions and their shafts, respectively, being all equal, and the rock-shafts being of different lengths, corresponding to the distances between the vertical planes of the keys and their plunger-s, respectively, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with the manual and the reed-chambers pertaining to the man ual-keys, respectively, said reed-chambers being wider than the keys, the valve-operating plungers pertaining to said chambers, respectively, the rock-shafts G, located below the manual and above the reed-chambers and comprising lever-arms G, all in planes at right angles to the rock-shafts, respectively, and the leverarms G comprising portions oblique to the rock-shafts, respectively, said oblique portions being all of equal length and the ob lique angles between the vertical planes of said oblique portions and their shafts, respectively, being all equal, and. the rock.- shafts being'of different lengths, corresponding tothe distances between the vertical planes of the keys and their plunger-s, respectively, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination with the manual and the respectively, the valve operating plungers pertaining to said chambers, respectively, the rock-shafts G,located and journaled between the manual and the reed-chambers, said rockjshafts being parallel to each other and obmanual and underneath said keys, respect-' ively, and adapted to be operated thereby, the lengths of said lever-arms being related to the distances from their contact, respectively, with the keys which operate them to the pivots of such keys to give the rock-shafts equal angular act-ion for equal depression of the keys, respectively, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination with the manual and the reed-chambers pertaining to the 1n anual-keys, respectively, said reed-chambers being wider than the keys, the valve-operating plun'gers pertaining'to said chambers, respectively, the rock-shaft G, located below the manual and above the reed-chambers and comprising lever-arms G, all in planes at right angles to the rock-shafts, respectively, and the leverarms G comprising the portions G at right angles to the shaft and the remainder obe lique thereto, said rock-shafts being of different lengths, corresponding to the distances between the vertical planes of the keys and their plu'ngers, respectively, and said leverarms'projecting forward from the rock-shafts to reach the buttons on the keys and the plungers, and the bar J, having the coupler rock-shafts journaled thereon, with their lever-arms projecting rearward and contacting, respectively, the coupler-buttons on the keys, and the coupler-buttons on the plungers, said bar being pivoted longitudinally approximately in line. with the contact of the levers with the plunger coupler-buttons, substantially as described.

MELVILLE CLARK.

Witnesses:

CHAS. S. BURTON, JEAN- ELLIOTT.

ICC

IIO 

